Pedro DeBrito

Infobox Football biography
playername= Pedro DeBrito
fullname = Pedro Gomez DeBrito
nickname =


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1959|5|25
cityofbirth = Cape Verde
countryofbirth =
height = height|ft=6|in=1
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber =
position = Forward / Midfielder / Defender
youthyears = 1978-1981
youthclubs = University of Connecticut
years = 1982
1983
1984
1984-1985
1985-1987
1987-1990
1989
1990-1992
1992-1993
clubs = Tampa Bay Rowdies
Team America
New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos ("indoor" - MISL)
Dallas Sidekicks ("indoor")
Wichita Wings ("indoor")
Albany Capitals
Dallas Sidekicks ("indoor")
Detroit Rockers ("indoor")
caps(goals) = 29 0(2)
19 0(0)
23 0(2)
87 (35)
46 (19)
23 (13)
nationalyears = 1983
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 0(0)
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Pedro Gomez DeBrito (born May 25, 1959 in Cape Verde) is a retired U.S.-Cape Verdean soccer midfielder. His career took him through multiple U.S. leagues including the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League and the National Professional Soccer League. He earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1983.

College

DeBrito, a native of Cape Verde, moved to the U.S. where he attended the University of Connecticut. He played as a forward on the men’s soccer team and finished his four seasons with 43 goals and 59 assists. He holds the school’s career assists record and is fourth on the career goals list. In 1981, UConn defeated Alabama A&M 2-1 to win the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. That year he earned first team All American honors.

NASL

The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League drafted DeBrito with the first pick in the 1982 NASL College Draft. ^{[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05EEDD1538F936A25751C1A967948260]} That year he was the NASL Rookie of the Year as a forward. ^{[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE1D91538F93BA3575AC0A964948260]}

In 1983, the U.S. Soccer Federation, in coordination with the NASL, entered the U.S. national team, known as Team America, into the NASL as a league franchise. The team drew on U.S. citizens playing in the NASL, Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and American Soccer League (ASL). DeBrito left the Rowdies and signed with Team America. When Team America finished the 1983 season with a 10-20 record, the worst in the NASL, USSF withdrew the team from the league and DeBrito returned to the Rowdies. However, he did not play for the Rowdies in 1984 as the team traded him to the New York Cosmos on April 26, 1984 for Refik Kozic and cash. While DeBrito played as a forward with the Rowdies and as a midfielder with Team America, the Cosmos used him as an outside back. DeBrito remained with the Cosmos through the 1984 NASL outdoor season. The league collapsed at the end of the season and the Cosmos jumped to MISL for the 1984-1985 season.

Indoor soccer

However, the Cosmos did not last the season and DeBrito signed with the Dallas Sidekicks (MISL) as a free agent on September 10, 1985. On February 13, 1987, DeBrito injured his right knee putting him out for the remainder of the 1986-1987 season. He began the 1987-1988 season with the Sidekicks but the team attempted to trade DeBrito the Tacoma Stars for Godfrey Ingram. When the two teams failed to complete the trade, the Sidekicks released DeBrito due to salary cap considerations nine games into the 1987-1988 season. DeBrito then signed with Wichita Wings as a free agent. Later that season, he broke his right leg. In 1989, DeBrito played for the Albany Capitals of the outdoor American Soccer League.

DeBrito returned to the Dallas Sidekicks as a free agent in 1990 and remained with the team through 1991. On December 2, 1992, he signed with the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League and played with the team until 1994 when he retired from professional soccer. After retirement, he spent some time in Portugal before returning to the United States and settling in Miami where he continues to play for local recreational soccer teams.

National team

DeBrito earned his only cap in the U.S. national team’s only game in 1983.

The University of Connecticut inducted DeBrito into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

External links

* [http://www.uconnhuskies.com/Sports/MSoccer/2006/Media%20Guide/pp63-82.Records.pdf UConn Soccer Records]
* [http://www.kicksfan.com/players/debrito/index.htm Sidekicks profile]